Rules & rates
Your pledged pension keeps growing: returns during the loan
Pension savings pledged for a home are not frozen in place: they stay invested, or the lender pays returns on them, and come back to your account when the loan is repaid. How the returns work, what the MRPS invests in, and what it costs.
A common worry: if I pledge my pension for a flat, do I lose 20 years of growth? The Pension Office says no.
What happens to the money
The Pension Office says pledged funds "remain invested during the loan repayment period and member continues to receive returns." Depending on the lender:
- the money stays invested in the MRPS, ring-fenced; or
- it is released to the lender, which must pay returns at regular intervals.
The leaflet says the same in Dhivehi: until the loan is repaid, the money is held under the lender's supervision, invested under the agreed rules, and keeps earning. When the loan is repaid, the money returns to your RSA with its returns.
What the MRPS invests in
From the Pension Office's own FAQ:
- Investments: treasury bills, fixed deposits, equities and bonds.
- Four portfolios:
- the default portfolio for members under 65;
- a Shariah portfolio for those who choose it;
- a conservative portfolio from 65;
- a retirees' Shariah portfolio.
- Administration fee: 0.5% a year before retirement, 0.3% after.
What you cannot do with pledged money
The pledged amount is tied to your loan until it is repaid. The Pension Office does not say whether the pledged part can be used for its other early options (a Hajj withdrawal, or early pension from 55). Plan as if it cannot until the loan is cleared.
Contributions keep coming
Your monthly contributions, 7% from you and at least 7% from your employer, keep going into your account as normal. Only the pledged sum is set aside; new savings build up alongside it.
The real risk
Returns are not the issue; default is. If you stop paying and the sale of the home does not clear the debt, the shortfall is taken from the pledged savings. That money is then gone from your retirement.
Pension Office: hotline 1441, Viber 733 1441, info@pension.gov.mv, pension.gov.mv. Your pledgeable amount is on your RSA statement, in the Pension mobile app and on the website.
From the Maldives Pension Administration Office's own housing pages, FAQ and leaflet, read on 18 October 2026. Your lender's terms decide the rest; confirm them before you commit. General information, not financial advice.
Ask the concierge about buying with your pension
Sources and method
- pension.gov.mv/en/housing (Pension Office, MRPS Housing Benefit, read 18 October 2026)
- pension.gov.mv/en/faq/housing (Pension Office, housing FAQ, read 18 October 2026)
- pension.gov.mv/en/faq/mrps (Pension Office, MRPS FAQ, read 18 October 2026)
- storage.googleapis.com/staging.mpao-1327.appspot.com/strapi/Housing_Leaflet_f46c9c774e/Housing_Leaflet_f46c9c774e.pdf (Pension Office housing leaflet, HL/V1/SEP22, Dhivehi)
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- For buyers
- Organisation Maldives Pension Administration Office (Pension Office)
- Topic explainer
- Topic home finance
- Topic pension
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